Buckingham

A pleasant little market town that retains much
of its old world charm. The town centre has a number
of specialist shops, restaurants and a regular Tuesday
and Saturday market.

Although no longer a county town, Buckingham's setting
in a loop of the River Ouse and surrounded by rich
farmland, has ensured it is still the market and business
centre for a wide agricultural area. Alfred the Great
awarded Buckingham its shire town status in 888 but
a great fire destroyed much of the town in 1725, so
the county government was transferred to Aylesbury.
Rebuilding after the fire of gave the town a predominantly
Georgian look.

Very
few earlier buildings survive, apart from a 12th-century
chantry chapel (shown left), rebuilt in 1475 as the
Royal Latin School and now operated as a second-hand
book shop by the National Trust. Its most notable feature
is its beautifully carved Norman doorway.

The River Great Ouse slowly winds its way through
the town. A pleasant riverside walk can be found just
to the east of the main high street, which follows
a green circular route through Chandos Park and the
Heartlands meadow area.

A branch of the Grand Union canal
once also ran to the northeast but sadly
this was closed in the 1960s. However the Buckingham
Canal Society are currently working on restoring it.
The canal's former towpath now forms part of the Ouse
Valley Way at Bourton Meadow.

Tourist Information Centre:

Market Hill, Buckingham, MK18 1JX - Tel: 01280 823020

Content by Steve B

What to see in Buckingham

Old Gaol Museum

Dominating the Market Hill is the Old Gaol, built in 1748 on the site of a previous Norman building, and in the style of a medieval stone castle. It now houses a museum which records the history of Buckingham, its rural life and the military heritage of Buckinghamshire.